An in-depth comparison of the academic structure, teachers, and course curriculum between Stratford and Challenger School

There are two similar and affordable private schools in the Bay Area – Stratford and Challenger. Amei sorted out the personal experiences shared by the parents of children who had attended either school in the past. This article is to help parents who want to know which school is better for them and their child. Now, let us take a look at this Stratford and Challenger school comparison!

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Content at a Glance

Stratford:

• Stratford Summer Camp
• Pre-K Information
• Campus Diversity
• Elementary School Information 

Challenger:

• Pre-K Information 
• Teaching Material Recommendation
• Elementary School Information 

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Stratford

Stratford Summer Camp

Stratford’s summer camp program is very abundant and all children over two and a half years old can participate. Starting from elementary school, Stratford summer camps are divided into three categories: STEAM, Special Camp, and Science Camp. There are more specific courses under each category.

Some parents have participated in their children’s summer camp before, and they share the following:

“Summer camp focuses on play and does not teach anything.”

“For half-day summer camps, Winchester is more cost-effective. The disadvantage is that it only accepts children under grade 2.”

“Two-year-old classes are held for 2.5 hours twice a week and parents participate in one day. The three-year-old classes are held for 3 hours three times a week and parents can also participate in one day. Four-year-old classes are held four times a week.”

Campus Diversity

The San Bruno campus has a good amount of diversity. Generally speaking, most parents are satisfied with the teachers and environment of the De Anza campus. There is a large Indian population, probably around 80%-90%. Campuses with the largest Chinese population are Santa Clara and Palo Alto.

The Stratford student structure at the Palo Alto campus is much better. Overall, there are up to 32 children in one class at Stratford campuses in the Southern Bay Area.

Pre-K Information

Stratford Pomeroy campus prefers obedient and stable children. Teachers do not like children who are more active and they will call parents frequently and ask them to pick up children before the class is over.

One child dropped out of the school and another child was advised by the teacher to see a psychologist weekly. The situation in general was very stressful for the parents. 

Some schools do not have licenses, so teachers cannot help children use the bathroom. Stratford does not accept children who have not undergone potty training. However, occasional accidents are okay. Normally, teachers will ask parents to prepare an extra set of clothes to be used in kindergarten. If an accident occurs, the clothes can be replaced.

Stratford Winchester campus: All the reviews were positive!

Elementary School Information From Parents

Stratford San Bruno Campus – Grade 2

“When we went to Stratford, advisors said that the amount of homework per day was 30 minutes during the first meeting. I was so happy that my child had a task to complete at home. It has now been more than a month since school started, and the mathematics homework for my child can basically be completed in school. I took a look at the homework sheet and my child was still doing addition and subtraction within 10 at grade 2 with the added requirements of completing within one minute.”

“The courses are not divided into levels and everyone follows the same schedule. I participated in a lot of class activities last year and the children were very nice, positive, lively, and lovely. Stratford changes class teachers every year and students are reclassified.”

“We were in grade 1 at Stratford and then transferred to Basis Independent in grade 2. Stratford is very good and my child likes the teachers there. The Fremont campus moved next to the lime plant. Many parents applied for Basis Independent, but they were all on the waitlist and it was quite difficult to enter. Basis Independent assigns more homework. In contrast, my child was much happier when he was at Stratford. One of his friends transferred with him and they both felt the same.”

“The grade 2 head teacher emphasized critical thinking which is very good. Every week, students need to write down critical thinking questions and discuss them in class on Friday. A few days ago the parents meeting was held and the head teacher also asked us to use critical thinking in our daily lives.”

Stratford San Francisco Campus – Grade 2

“There’s a very few amount of homework assignments. It used to be okay, but the management is very messy now. Because of this, we want to transfer to another school.”

Stratford San Francisco Campus – Grade 6

“We just went to Stratford. Judging from the amount of homework, the math and English programs are better than the public schools! We are doing homework every day and it feels like it takes more than one hour to complete. I have been told that there are so many homework assignments for elementary school students.”

Challenger School

Pre-K Important Information From Parents

“Parents should carefully read the application when applying. There is a lot of content that needs to be understood including the recognition of the school’s mission and policy. Children who cannot keep up will be dismissed or relegated. Because of this, a child’s personality needs to be suitable for this strict system.

Recommended Textbooks

Phonics of Challenger textbooks have received great reviews and the textbooks can be bought at either the school office for $199 plus tax or on Amazon. This set of textbooks is divided into three stages and includes a CD, three DVDs, a parent manual, three exercise books (corresponding to 3, 4, and 5 years old), 10 sets of cards, and many thin books.

Amei also searched for the textbooks on Amazon and the reviews were very good.

Elementary School Information From Parents

Challenger Berryessa Campus

“I just went to the Berryessa Challenger School tour which is said to be the largest campus in the Bay Area. There are five classes in grade 1 and three classes in grade 2 and above. However, there is one thing that we can not accept though. There are 24 children in a class with only one teacher who teaches math, science, English, and art from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

Challenger Lower Grade

“My daughter and son just transferred to Challenger this year and we are still very satisfied. My daughter is in grade 1. The instructor teaches well in all subjects except PE and computer.”

“The art teacher seems to be a professional for grade 3 and above. Science has only one teacher and no teaching assistant.”

“There is not much homework for grade 3, but it depends on the child. Some children do it for 20 minutes, and some children do it for two hours. One page for mathematics, one page for grammar, and then answer two questions for history and science.”

“In grade 3, children were asked to quickly record class notes by themselves. Although there are exams there is no need to review for them. If you do not attend the class, the review is useless.”

“Personally, I do not think that the academic pressure at Challenger is heavy. There is not much content in class. As long as the students listen to the teacher, they can learn effectively. Challenger mainly aims to cultivate study habits such as paying attention to lectures.”

The mathematics curriculum has been reformed. Parents have always said that the mathematics content is weak. Because of this, the school started to revise teaching methods and homework material a few years ago.

Students have to take 4-5 exams every week. The exams usually start on Wednesday.

Challenger Junior High

“Junior high school teachers have very strong backgrounds. Only instructors with a Master’s Degree can teach professional courses and many of them have been teaching for more than ten years. The mathematics teacher at the junior high school level graduated from the Harvard Department of Mathematics.”

“Many people feel that the school is small and they do not want their children to go to Challenger. However, if they just look at the academic level, Challenger is good.”

Many parents are struggling with which school to choose. They know the schools but do not know which quality is the most important. Therefore, Amei will also share the school selection experience from the parents.

Preschool Selection Focus

“Those who have never attended daycare are not recommended to go directly to schools with a lower teacher-student ratio. This is because their self-care ability has not been trained yet and the teacher cannot control the classroom. However, I feel that children who are more than three years old do need more academic learning. In addition, getting along well with classmates will make children more independent.”

“The only disadvantage of daycare is that the child is trapped in the house and there is not much room for activities. Despite this, the daycare will take good care of them.”

“Younger children are not suitable for school management models like Challenger and Stratford. Do not worry too much about the learning material because it will be repeated in the lower grades. Although Phonics started in preschool, it was more systematic in kindergarten.”

Stratford and Challenger School Conclusion

In conclusion, as many parents have said, private chain schools such as Stratford and Challenger vary greatly from campus to campus. Not to mention, campuses also have different classes and different head teachers.

Overall, the campuses that received the most positive reviews were:

Stratford – Winchester campus

Challenger – Almaden Valley campus

But which campus is better? It is still necessary for you to take the time to tour and have a look at whether the teacher-student ratio, facility environment, and teaching philosophy are suitable for your child.

If you want more information on either school. Links to their admissions pages are provided below. Thank you for reading our in-depth Stratford and Challenger School comparison!

Stratford

Challenger School